FORTIES PIPELINE

The 235-mile pipeline, which carries 40 per cent of Britain’s North Sea crude oil, links 85 oil and gas fields to Grangemouth, near Edinburgh. The crack in the onshore section of the pipeline near Aberdeen could be worth up to £20million a day. To fix the problem, engineers may have to replace a section of pipe or place a clamp on the hairline crack.

Engineers work on the damaged pipe at Netherley, south of Aberdeen